Crazy Fairy and other short stories
by Aulizia
Summary: A collection of one shots starring Levy and Gajeel. No. 9: The Quiet Path: I couldn't help but notice that Levy changed her clothes at some point during her time on Tenrou Island. Trust me, Gajeel noticed too. Plus a bonus drabble: Love Song.
1. Crazy Fairy

**- Crazy Fairy and other short stories -**

I can see myself writing a few little one shots for this couple so I thought I might as well put them all in one place. The collection as a whole will be rated according to its highest rated story (currently T), but specific ratings (and genres) will be included at the start of individual stories for your information.

I'm still pretty new to Fairy Tail and I'm getting more and more confused when it comes to correctly spelling the characters' names. I'm just going to go with the fanfiction(dot)net character list for the time being. Hope that's okay with everyone! Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>- Crazy Fairy -<strong>

**Summary:** Laxus has been defeated. Levy feels honour-bound to thank Gajeel for his help, but hasn't quite forgotten he's the last person who deserves her thanks. Lightly sprinkled with hints of a Gajeel/Levy attraction. Rated for language.

This story was inspired by the Laxus arc, and is kind of set between Chapters 127 and 128. I'm sure it must have been done before, but I just can't get these two out of my head! Not so much a romance (sadly), but perhaps the start of an attraction?

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: Friendship - Words: 1,869 - Published: 22-05-11**

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><p><strong>- Crazy Fairy -<strong>

**I.**

Words were the most important thing in Levy's life. They were the foundation on which everything else was built - her friendships, her magic, her happiness and hopes and, yes, even her fears. She could trace them all back to a word or two. Words mattered. And the two words that were currently lodged in her brain were causing her an inordinate amount of trouble.

_Thank you. _

It shouldn't be hard to say. It _wouldn't_ be hard to say, to anybody else. But it was hard. Because it was _him_. And that meant they just might be the hardest two words that she'd ever had to say.

_So don't do it._

That thought was stubbornly persistent too. She didn't have to say anything. No one would think any worse of her. No one would even know one way or the other in all probability!

But she would know.

She would know that she was carrying those two small impossibly heavy words around with her every second that they sat idle on her tongue. They rolled around inside her head like a stone in her shoe. She should have got rid of them straight away, immediately after Laxus's defeat. Plunged in headfirst before she had time to think. But she _always_ stopped to think.

And that tendency to over think things was giving her a headache this morning. It was early enough that the guild was relatively empty. Even Cana was absent from the bar, although she should be along soon. Lucy wanted to meet to discuss their costumes for the Fantasia parade. Levy smiled absently. For someone who hadn't known that they would be taking part in the parade a day ago, Lucy had certainly thrown herself into the swing of things!

Levy was looking forward to the festivities. It would be good for everyone to relax and have fun together, especially after the last few days. Except of course, she knew she wouldn't relax until she had assuaged her conscience. _Her_ conscience! All things considered, she wasn't sure if that made her want to laugh or cry. She settled for closing her eyes and dropping her head into her hands with a defeated groan.

"What's wrong with you?"

She froze. The speaker's voice was deep, rough and unmistakable. _Why_ did the gods hate her? She was a good girl! Kind, honest, hardworking – oh, all right, so she had a few (dozen) racy novels to spice up her otherwise pristine literary collection. So what!

She opened her eyes, gathered her courage and slowly peeked between her fingers. Unfortunately her ears hadn't lied. But just how did a man the size of a small mountain, bandaged up like a mummy, walking with the aid of a _crutch _for goodness sake, manage to appear in front of her without her noticing?

Levy lifted her head and dropped her hands to her lap, as naturally as was humanly possible, which she guessed was not _very_ naturally at all.

"Good morning, Gajeel."

She summoned a smile in the face of the dragon slayer's scowl. It was not a very _good_ scowl, given that he was looking out from his bandages with only one eye, which might have explained why she didn't falter.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, flicking her gaze over his beaten body.

He blinked his one red eye, slowly, as though her question was so inane that it would be a waste of his breath to answer. And _this_ was the man to whom she owed her thanks?

"So nothing's wrong?" he asked slowly, shifting his weight as he regarded her sceptically.

Levy tilted her head slightly. She wondered at his persistence, but decided they couldn't keep talking at crossed-purposes. If her answer was not one hundred percent accurate, well, she decided she could be forgiven.

"Nothing's wrong."

He stared at her for a moment, still wearing his strangely suspicious half-scowl, and then he grunted something unintelligible and limped off. Levy frowned down at the tabletop. She should have done it then. She should do it now. She should go after him and get it over with before she went crazy. What was the worst that could happen?

Unbidden, an image of being stapled to a tree flashed in front of her eyes. She chewed her lip as she carefully tucked that memory away at the very back of her mind.

She told herself that she had new memories to consider. New images that might one day overwrite that painful experience completely. Gajeel taking a beating from Jet and Droy, accepting it like a punishment. Gajeel blocking the strike that Laxus had aimed at her. Gajeel fighting alongside Natsu for Fairy Tail.

Levy stopped biting her lip. She could taste the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. Yes. He had hurt her. Deeply. But he had saved her too. And because of his sacrifice, hadn't he really saved them all? She tried desperately to weigh the contrary facts in her mind.

She could remember his presence beside her as she deciphered Fried's runes. He hadn't unnerved her then. She liked to think that was because she had been far too busy to pay him any attention. But that wasn't entirely true. Compared to Natsu, Gajeel had been calm and patient, and- and supportive? What was it he'd said? She was incredible? A faint heat stole into her cheeks. And she _had_ asked him to stop Laxus. So, it was kind of her fault, sort of, it _felt_ like it was anyway, and she couldn't put it off any longer.

"Gajeel!"

His name escaped her lips before she could stop it breaking free, but he was already gone.

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><p><strong>II.<strong>

She didn't know where he was going. There was no way she could know anything about Master Ivan. As he limped down the street, Gajeel consoled himself with these thoughts. He didn't know what had clouded the blue-haired girl's eyes with unease, but it wasn't that- it couldn't be- he was just being paran-

"_Fuck."_

She was following him. He couldn't put a name to her scent, but it was delicate and warm, faintly floral with a hint of something _else_. He was used to smelling her fear - bitter, strong and sharp - and now that it appeared to be gone he found that his skin prickled uncomfortably whenever she got too close. Head down, he kept moving. She almost certainly wasn't coming after him.

"Gajeel?"

He swore again, and cast a look over his shoulder. The tiny mage was walking towards him with a look of utter determination on her face. His pulse picked up a beat. He'd seen that expression before. Ah hell. He certainly wasn't as complicated to read as those runes that she'd decoded!

"You sure move fast for someone on crutches," Levy complained, lips twitching in a fleeting smile as she drew level with him, coaxing him to a standstill.

Gajeel waited in uneasy silence, positive that wasn't all she had chased after him to say. Evidently appreciating that he wasn't going to make idle conversation, she cleared her throat, twisted her hands behind her back, and then she lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye.

"I just- see, I wanted to say-" She took a deep breath. "Thank you."

There was deafening silence, as it took several more seconds than was normal for her meaning to penetrate Gajeel's brain, and then, when it finally had, an explosion of noise followed.

"_What?"_

He didn't exactly mean to roar the question so incredulously, but of all the things that he had imagined her saying that _certainly_ hadn't even made it onto the radar. A few people passing by eyed him with mistrust, but for some almost equally absurd reason, Levy didn't appear offended by his rudeness. In fact, she clasped her hands in front of her body, bowed her head and said it again.

"Thank you."

Gajeel instantly pressed two fingers to her forehead and pushed her head back up. No way was this girl ever going to bow to him. She blinked at him in confusion and he dropped his hand.

"Crazy Fairy," he grunted awkwardly.

Levy laughed softly. Gajeel's whole body tensed. Had he heard her make that sound before? It was warm and husky, and _really_ dangerous. She gave her shoulders a light-hearted shrug as she absently touched her forehead.

"Crazy? Maybe, but I feel much better now."

She looked better too. Her face was bright and her eyes open and clear. If he didn't have somewhere else to be, urgently, and if he wasn't so socially incompetent, he would have asked her _why_ that was when any normal person in her position would be ruing the fact that he wasn't dead.

It might have crossed his mind that her surprisingly strong desire to have him fight Laxus was born of the even stronger desire for him to meet his end. Lightning and metal did not mix well. Not as far as the metal was concerned anyway. But he had quickly come to realise that her mind just didn't work that way. He had no clue _how_ it worked exactly, but it wasn't vengeful or vindictive.

"Look Levy-" he said gruffly. "I need to-"

"Oh!" She blushed apologetically when she realised that she was keeping him. "Sorry, of course." She cast a quick glance back in the direction of the guide. "I need to meet Lu-Chan anyway." Her gaze returned to his face curiously. "Are you going to watch the parade later?"

One corner of his mouth slanted upward in a mockery of a smile. "Not really my thing."

"You're part of Fairy Tail now. It's not exactly optional."

She placed a hand on her hip, unconsciously drawing attention to the fact that her figure was extremely nicely defined for someone so small. At least, he distractedly presumed it was done unconsciously.

"There's something I need to take care of first."

_Fuckin' fantastic._ Why didn't he just come right out and tell her he was going to see Master Ivan? One of her eyebrows quirked, and those clever eyes of hers observed him thoughtfully.

"A mission?"

He looked away. Safer. Much safer. "Something like that."

"I see." Levy gave him a wry little smile of her own just before she turned to go. "Well, don't take too long. It would be a shame if you missed all the celebrations!" she called in farewell.

He frowned after her. Would it? He wasn't so sure. But apparently she disagreed. Completely bewildered, he watched her walk away until she was swallowed up by the general bustle of the street.

Gajeel had never put much stock in words. Words were just noise with meaning haphazardly attached. In his experience, they were easily twisted and effortlessly distorted. He infinitely preferred action. Before Levy. Because for the girl he had beaten unconscious and crucified to come after him and make him accept her thanks when in reality he should be thanking her, well, even he had to stop and pay attention to that.

"Fuckin' crazy Fairy," he muttered, smiling ever so slightly as he turned to limp away.

**- Fin -**


	2. Just a dream

**- Just a dream -**

**Summary:** At Tenrou Island's Fairy Tail base camp, Levy contemplates her feelings for her unconscious partner and comes to a difficult decision. Set marginally before Chapter 225. Rated for (very!) minor adult themes.

(Incidentally, I'm not saying Levy's thoughts on her contribution to the fight with Kawazu and Yomazu, or any of her consequent actions, are mine (*cough* or indeed Gajeel's *halo*).)

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance - Words: 1,889 - Published: 05-06-11**

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><p><strong>- Just a dream -<strong>

She had imagined what it would be like to touch him. Dreamed about it. Had woven entire fantasies around that secret yearning. She could conjure the heat of his skin in her mind. See the flex and play of his muscles under her hands. It left her breathless. (And maybe a little heartbroken.) She _liked_ his body. Liked to pretend that one day she would know it better than her own.

But she had never thought the first time she would touch his face would be to wipe the blood from his unconscious brow.

She dabbed gently around the cuts and grazes that marred his skin, so afraid of adding to his pain, but he didn't even stir. And that worried her too. Every few minutes she found herself stopping to listen anxiously for the shallow rasp of his breath. On more than one terrifying occasion she pressed an ear to his chest just to confirm that she could still hear the steady thump of his heart.

"Don't you dare die," she hissed, setting her small jaw firm, as though she thought the threat alone could bind him to this world.

_You told me you could handle them!_

_I believed you. I believe in you._

She tenderly brushed his hair out of his eyes, and finished cleaning the blood from his piercings last of all. She couldn't quite stop herself from curiously tracing one line of metal studs with a fingertip, but she snatched her hand back guiltily as soon as she saw Lisanna approaching.

"Here you go, I found some more bandages."

Levy made the effort to smile as she gave her thanks and accepted the valuable supplies. She was fully aware that the other girl had just as many worries as she did. Perhaps more. Mirajane laid quietly just a little way from Gajeel. Defeated by one of the mages from Grimoire Heart. How was that possible? _Mirajane!_

"Do you want a hand?"

"It's fine. I can manage," Levy said softly. He was hers. For however short a time. "You've done loads to help. You should sit with your sister."

"I got another blanket too," Lisanna said, placing it carefully on the ground beside Gajeel. She looked at him anxiously. "I'm sure he'll be okay. From what I've heard, he's really strong."

"Yeah," Levy murmured in agreement, conscious of the rush of guilt that turned her stomach.

_She_ was supposed to be the one up for S-Class contention. Yet she hadn't been able to do a thing to help him. He was right. She needed to get stronger. If they- _when they_ got off the island she would do everything in her power to achieve that goal.

She moved around to the other side of his body so that she could dress his mangled right arm. She had no idea what had happened to inflict such a serious injury, could only pray that given time and magic it would mend. _So useless._ She couldn't even heal him. She thought of Wendy, and fresh envy pricked at her heart.

She carefully bound his wounds and then gently covered his motionless body with the blanket. A sigh escaped her lips. A sigh dragged from the very bottom of her soul. It wasn't fair. Not this. And not _that_. Certainly not that!

By the time Levy had realised what was happening to her it was already much too late. She knew she shouldn't feel this way about him. He had crucified her. Branded her. Beaten her nakama and destroyed her guild. There were names for women who fell for men like him. Levy told herself she wasn't one of them.

But he _wasn't_ that man anymore. That was how she tried to rationalise her feelings. Every day she gathered more evidence in his defence. Which was all very well and good, but in some ways it didn't matter, and in other ways it made it worse, because he would never look at her the way she looked at him.

She could love him so easily- if only he'd let her. But of course, he never would. She was innocent, but she wasn't naïve.

He tolerated her. Perhaps he even liked her, a little bit, enough not to want her to die at any rate. But deep down, she knew she wasn't _enough_ for him. Not enough of anything that he might need. He hadn't come to Tenrou Island for her- he had come for them. Natsu. Erza. People infinitely stronger than she could ever be.

She knew Lisanna was busy watching over Mirajane, but Levy bowed her head to hide the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks anyway. It didn't matter. Or it _shouldn't_ matter. Not _now_, when there were so many other things to worry about. She would be fine. She could be happy again. Find a new dream. Just so long as he made it through this okay. It was the only thing that she asked for now. He couldn't die because she was too weak to save him!

She didn't realise that a few persistent tears had broken through her defences. Not until she felt the clumsy brush of his fingers against her cheek. She jolted in surprise.

"Gajeel!"

_"W-Why-"_

She had never heard his voice so strained. He was grimacing, could barely open his eyes. They were narrowed to slits against the pain. But for some crazy reason he was trying to get up. Levy immediately snapped out of her stupor.

"Stop it!"

She hoped the command would do the trick. Given the dreadful state that he was in, she was sure she could pin him down, but she didn't want to have to try- didn't want to make his injuries any worse.

"Not- safe," he rasped, barely audibly, breathing hard as he struggled to sit.

Levy relented. She pushed a firm hand against his left shoulder and used all of her weight to keep him lying down. The resistance that she could feel in his taut muscles amazed her.

He caught her by surprise again when his hand moved to twist itself somewhat painfully in her hair. He dragged her face down to his. Her eyes widened incredulously as she found herself close enough to feel the uneven pant of his breath. She gulped, unbalanced, her left arm flailing, as she tried to find somewhere to place it that _wasn't_ attached to him!

She succeeded in planting it to the side of his head, but that only made her position more precarious, given the way she now caged the top half of his body with her own.

"You'll be fine here," she said, in as soothing a tone as she could manage, given the situation, given where she was. She tried to ease the tangle of his fingers. His eyes flashed, and if anything his grip tightened. "The guild's base camp. It was the best place I could find," she squeaked apologetically. "_Please_ calm down."

"Not. Me."

She looked confused. Her eyelashes fluttered in misunderstanding. She leaned a faction closer, thinking she might have misheard.

"Not you what?"

_"Levy!"_

He was fighting _so hard_ to stay conscious. She could see the strain in his face, but she could also feel his hold on her hair slowly loosening. When his body slumped and his eyes rolled shut she had to catch hold of his hand to stop it hitting the ground with a thud.

She swallowed passed the lump in her throat, had to struggle to stop from crying out. And she was still so close to him. So close to his lips that if she moved just a fraction closer she could erase the distance completely. Her eyelids lowered momentarily. But she wasn't a thief, and she wasn't a coward. If she ever took a kiss from him he would know about it. She pulled away, rather difficultly, like a metal shaving breaking free from his magnetic field.

"Wow."

Levy flinched.

"What?" she asked, dashing her tears away, realising that Lisanna had seen everything. The other young woman smiled hesitantly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, nothing."

Levy slumped with relief.

"It's just," Lisanna continued, _of course_ she continued, and she was starting to grin, which Levy should have been pleased about given the circumstances, but frankly, she wasn't pleased, because that grin was there at her expense, and she wasn't sure what the cost would be, "Well, he was talking about you, you know."

Confusion came again.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sure he was talking about you. He was worried about you."

For a second, hope seized Levy's heart, but commonsense swiftly prevailed. She considered it highly unlikely, and highly _dangerous_ to start thinking anything along those lines.

"How could you possibly have heard what he was saying from over there?"

_She_ had barely heard and she'd been- well, practically on top of him!

"I didn't need to hear," Lisanna giggled. "I've got eyes!"

Levy decided it best to ignore that comment completely. It was bad enough that she'd been caught draped over the dragon slayer without having to discuss it.

"He wasn't making any sense. He was delirious with pain," she persisted valiantly. "He only said a few words!"

Lisanna looked oddly delighted. "One of them was your name, wasn't it?"

_It had been, hadn't it?_

Did that make it meaningful, or merely an obvious utterance because it happened to be _her_ hair that he was pulling out by the roots?

Levy stared down at her lap. She twisted her hands together. She could still feel the memory of his fingers in her hair- on her skin. But that was all it was- a memory- one that she couldn't allow Lisanna to encourage her to misread. Before the test, _maybe_ she'd had hope. But since then Gajeel had made it painfully clear that she wasn't in his league. He was obliged to protect her, but obligation did not breed affection.

"It doesn't mean whatever it is you're thinking," she said softly.

In fact, if there was anything in Lisanna's logic at all, it probably just meant he didn't trust her not to do something stupid. Again. Something stupid that would mean she would need rescuing. Again. Levy's heart sank all the way down to her toes. She was starting to wish he hadn't said anything at all.

"Please don't- don't mention any of this to anyone," she said quietly, "not even Gajeel- _especially_ not Gajeel, I'm sure he won't remember anyway, and it would just be- awkward for him."

It was going to be awkward anyway. She couldn't forget that lump of iron- her foolish telltale Script.

_Idiot!_

Lisanna's smile had vanished. She dropped to her knees beside the blue-haired mage and hugged her suddenly.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought-" She squeezed Levy tightly instead of finishing that sentence. "I thought you liked him?" she whispered, searching Levy's pale face. "I mean, I heard about what he did before, but I figured you must have forgiven him. You still don't trust him?"

"I trust him with my life."

She didn't even have to think about it anymore. But he didn't trust her with his, and until he could- until she was stronger, she would stop dreaming of burdening him with her heart.

**- Fin -**


	3. Acumen

**- Acumen -**

**Summary:** It's only Lily's second day as a member of Fairy Tail, but he's already noticed Gajeel's affinity for a certain blue-haired Fairy. Rated for language and minor adult themes.

I was inspired to write this after rereading Chapter 200 and noticing the little details on page 14. Plus, did anyone else think Lily looked rather too suspiciously happy about Gajeel and Levy partnering up for the S-Class exam?

Oh, I also just wanted to say a really big thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome in a shiny new fandom!

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: Friendship/Romance - Words: 1,941 - Published: 12-06-11**

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><p><strong>- Acumen -<strong>

Gajeel had never thought he'd wake up to the sight of Levy's sleeping face.

Of course, he'd never thought he'd wake up on a tabletop in the middle of Fairy Tail's bar hugging a small black cat either.

Funny, how things worked out.

He dragged his free hand over his face and thought about moving. Thought about it very carefully. It felt like there were a series of explosions taking place inside his head. _Blinking_ hurt! But if he lay completely still, he could just about bear it. He groaned thickly. What the hell had he been drinking last night? His stomach happily digested metal for fuck's sake!

Okay. Decision made. Moving was not going to happen.

Neither was sleeping. Now that he was unfortunately awake, the collective snoring of the Fairy Tail mages was fuckin' deafening, adding an external pounding to his already thumping headache.

So he couldn't move, and he couldn't sleep, so he did the only logical thing that remained an option.

He watched Levy.

There were other places where his gaze might have fallen, but somehow something always drew him back to her. She was sitting on the floor of the trashed barroom, propped against a table, breathing deeply and contentedly. She was smiling in her sleep. For reasons that he didn't fully understand, that almost made him want to smile too.

Which made him wonder, in the current groggy fog that was his mind, if this unfamiliar feeling in his chest was happiness? Very probably he was still just drunk. But he turned the question over in his head. He had his cat. And he had the guild. Well, kind of. Some of them (_most_ of them?) still hated his guts. They were a screwed up bunch of people, but then maybe that explained why he felt at home.

And then there was her. He really had no right to even _think_ about her, but rights and wrongs were sketchy ideas to him at the best of times. He didn't have a hope in hell of sorting through them in his present hung over state. Not that she would ever want anything to do with him in any case.

So anyway, at least he had his cat.

He hadn't realised that Pantherlily was also awake until the Exceed spoke.

"Who's the girl?"

"What girl?"

"_The_ girl. The one you can't take your eyes off. Practically the only person you didn't introduce me to last night."

Gajeel sat up. Not nearly slowly enough. He felt like someone had just taken an axe to his head. The room spun. Unfortunately not so badly that he wasn't aware that Lily was waiting for an answer.

"No one."

The lie tripped easily off his tongue, but it spat on the feeling of contentment that he'd just been starting to enjoy. The Exceed looked increasingly suspicious. Gajeel chose to ignore that fact as he climbed off the table and went in search of something that would make him feel vaguely human again.

**..ooOOoo..**

Levy woke to find herself being stared at by a little black cat. A little black cat that was casually leaning against her knee and staring broodingly up at her face.

Maybe she was still dreaming- that or she'd had more to drink the night before than she'd thought? It had been one of Fairy Tail's wilder parties, which was saying something, but it wasn't every day that one of their members came back to life!

"You sleep like the dead. I've been standing here for five minutes. I could have killed you ten times over."

Levy closed her mouth. It seemed to be hanging open. But then, a little wry smile tugged at her lips. She sighed good-naturedly, as she stretched, yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"You're Gajeel's cat, aren't you?"

The cat in question frowned. "My name's Pantherlily. I was the Magic Militia's First Division Commander of the Royal Army in Edolas. I'm not a pet!"

Levy simply smiled more broadly. A response that seemed to catch Lily off guard, if Levy could judge by the confused expression that he was wearing.

"So, you really are from Edolas then. I still can't quite believe a whole other world exists." She looked wistful. "Lucy was telling me about it last night. It's incredible! I've never read anything that even _hints_ at its existence. I wish I could have seen it."

"You do?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed, before falling silent. Her expression turned serious. "But it must be hard for you, finding yourself here? Charle says you can't go back. I'm sorry you've lost your home."

"I haven't had a home for a long time."

Levy listened attentively. Her smile grew soft and sympathetic. She couldn't help thinking that maybe things happened for a reason. Maybe this cat would be the one to finally understand _him_. Natsu and Wendy certainly had uniquely strong bonds with Happy and Charle. She hoped things worked out the same way for Gajeel.

She was good at reading things. Books, codes, people. Him. Sometimes him. She hated how lonely he appeared. But she hated herself more for not knowing how to reach out to him. As much as she might want to understand him, and she did want to understand him, very badly, they were just so different. But this- Pantherlily- he reminded her of Gajeel- with his bluster and his grumpy bluntness.

"Yeah," Levy murmured with a smile, "I think you'll suit just fine."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just-" she stopped speaking and sniffed the air. Mingled with the odour of stale bodies and spilled drinks was a scent that made her mouth water. "Can you smell that?" she asked eagerly

Lily looked further bemused, but Levy was getting to her feet. She could handle her drink pretty well, particularly for a girl of her diminutive size, a fact that alternately amused and annoyed her fellow mages. She didn't even have a headache this morning, but it wasn't like she was especially fond of sleeping on the floor and much more importantly she _never_ started a day without a large dose of caffeine.

**..ooOOoo..**

"You're going to share, right?"

Gajeel's gaze slid reluctantly to the kitchen's doorway. She was standing there, looking tousled and sleepy-eyed, and way too appealing. Right next to his fuckin' traitor of a cat! She was also staring at the freshly brewed coffee that he'd just made with a look of hungry longing in her eyes. Men would kill to see a woman look at them that way.

He swallowed and reminded himself that she almost certainly wanted nothing to do with him. Ever.

"_Right?"_ she persisted.

"And why would I do that?"

She smiled one of her dangerous little smiles. "If you do I won't tell Mirajane you invaded the sanctity of her kitchen."

"Are you threatening me?" he asked, half impressed, half incredulous. A dark grin slowly broke across his face.

"Do you feel threatened?" she laughed.

_Hell yes!_

"Hardly."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, which she correctly interpreted as his acquiescence.

She fetched three mugs from one of the kitchen cupboards and placed them in front of him expectantly. Lily hopped up onto the countertop, watching the whole exchange with unconcealed interest.

"I didn't know you willingly ingested anything that wasn't metallic or alcoholic," she mused, pulling up a stool as she waited for him to fill the mugs.

"And you know everything else about me, do you?" he demanded grouchily, but she was too busy inhaling the steamy aroma from her mug to pay him any attention. He growled at Lily instead, "You're a cat, you're not actually going to fuckin' drink that?"

"I want to see what all the fuss is about," Lily remarked, accepting his own drink while watching Levy with amusement.

She sipped her hot black coffee and practically purred with delight. _Not_ a sound that Gajeel had ever anticipated hearing her make. His body throbbed. He accidentally snapped the handle off his mug. _Fuck this! _His hangover was the least of his problems. He eyed his coffee dubiously. He wondered where Mirajane hid her strongest spirits?

"I never did catch your name," Lily said slowly, still watching the young woman.

"Levy."

The Exceed considered her reply for a moment. "There was a Levy in Edolas. I don't believe I ever met her, but I seem to recall intelligence reports stating that she was part of the strongest team in Fairy Tail."

Levy almost choked. "Yeah, I heard all about that from Wendy and Charle. If you could _not_ mention that fact to Jet or Droy I would be eternally grateful."

"_Why_ are we lying to your boyfriends?" Gajeel growled quietly.

"Because you don't want to make my life hell for the foreseeable future?" she suggested hopefully.

"Explain."

Levy turned back to Lily to answer him. "I love those boys, but we aren't anywhere near as strong as our Edolas counterparts, and because I know that and because I know them, I know they'll be devastated to hear the comparison. I mean-" she turned to Gajeel imploringly. "You've seen what it's done to Juvia!"

Gajeel looked utterly blank. "What has what done to Juvia?"

And why the hell were they now talking about the rain woman? He'd had to stop listening to her. He'd been too busy trying to suppress the sudden overwhelming urge to beat two defenceless men to death.

Happily, or not, Lily chose that moment to interject.

"You want to protect them."

"_Precisely!"_

Gajeel folded his arms across his chest. This was absolute bullshit. If anyone tried to 'protect' him in this way he'd knock them out cold. No wonder they were so fuckin' weak if Levy was always mothering them!

"They'll hear about it sooner or later."

"Not from you."

There was a myriad of latent meaning contained in those three little words. He heard it. He saw it in the unusually grave set of her mouth. And he kind of respected her for it, even if he hated it. She grew a little more in his estimation. So she was protecting them from _him_. He wondered if that was what she'd intended all along? He turned his head away.

"Fine."

She smiled, and although he wasn't looking at her, he _felt_ it, and that warm, full, happy, _drunk_ feeling returned, at least until she slipped off her stool and he realised that she was leaving.

"You know, I wasn't joking earlier. Mirajane _will_ kill us if she finds us in here- well, she'll kill _me_. You two might escape with a maiming."

She looked at them thoughtfully, as though weighing their odds against Fairy Tail's Demon. Personally, the dragon slayer liked his chances, but Lily looked like he didn't know whether or not to take Levy's words literally.

"The people in this guild are really-" words evidently failed him.

"Violent?" Gajeel supplied.

"_Confusing."_

"You'll get used to it," Levy laughed. She rinsed her mug and put it away. "It was nice to meet you, Pantherlily." She turned and smiled straight at Gajeel. He got some idea of the depth of the trouble he was in when he responded to that smile as though it had been a physical touch. "Thanks for the coffee."

She left them with a cheerful wave.

She left him with his world turned upside down.

"_No one,_ huh?"

"Don't say it."

"What?" Lily was all innocence. "I was just thinking 'no one' must mean the exact opposite here to what it means in Edolas, because I'm fairly certain that was one hell of an important someone."

**- Fin -**


	4. Out of the frying pan

**- Out of the frying pan -**

**Summary: **It's telling where she turns when she finds herself in trouble. Rated for language.

I didn't mean to write this (I had something entirely different planned!), but this is what appeared when I started typing. Go figure. At least Gajeel must be pleased not to be injured, unconscious or inebriated for a change.

Incidentally, if you wanted, you could read all these stories as connected little snapshots, and if you were going to do that this one would follow shortly after Crazy Fairy.

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: Friendship - Words: 1,975 - Published: 20-06-11**

* * *

><p><strong>- Out of the frying pan -<strong>

Oh, she was dead. She was so very, very dead.

Unless- _unless_-

The tantalising half-formed hope lodged itself in Levy's mind and quickened her footsteps. She kept her head down for fear of being recognised, and clutched a large square-shaped bag tightly to her chest, as she darted through the moonlit streets of Magnolia.

By the time she reached his apartment her heart was racing. She hammered on the front door _praying_ that he would answer. The lights were on inside- he _had_ to be home. She bounced anxiously on the balls of her feet. So what was taking so long?

She knocked again. She knocked until she lost all feeling in her knuckles. She knocked until the door was wrenched open to reveal one wet, irate, half-dressed dragon slayer.

"What the fuck-!"

Gajeel stopped mid-roar. Possibly because he had realised who had dragged him out of the shower. Possibly because that same person had just slipped under his arm and into his apartment.

"_Levy?"_

It sounded like _he_ wanted her dead too.

She was dimly aware of the click of the front door being closed, the pad of his bare feet as he stalked after her, but she was _fully_ aware that he was dressed only in a pair of white pants, and that there had been rivulets of water running down his sculpted body.

She was lucky she was still holding her problem in her arms or else she would have forgotten why she'd come. She turned to face him only once she reached his sparsely furnished living room.

"You _have_ to fix it."

She thrust the bag at him, which he eyed with confusion and silent disdain.

"_Please?"_ she begged belatedly.

Gajeel took a step further into the room, but he still didn't take the bag from Levy's outstretched hands. He slowly circled her instead, carefully sniffing the air.

She blushed uncertainly. "W-what are you doing?"

"Checking."

"Checking what?" she demanded, turning on the spot to keep him in her line of sight.

He rolled his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug, head cocked to one side as he continued to study her. Levy pursed her lips, but knew that she didn't have time to play games tonight.

"If you could decide to help me now that would be wonderful because I don't have much time."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "Until what?"

"Until Lu-chan kills me!"

He laughed, which was not a reaction that she particularly appreciated.

"The bunny girl? She couldn't kill you if she tried."

"Well she's going to try when she sees this!" Levy insisted, offering him the bag again. This time, with a show of great reluctance, he took it. He reached inside and frowned as he pulled out an ornately carved wooden box. "It's Lucy's music box," Levy supplied, stepping towards him to open the lid. Nothing happened. "I broke it," she mumbled.

"So?"

"So!"

"It's a fuckin' music box, Levy. It's not the end of the world."

"It's an antique! A family heirloom! A present from her mother!"

So declared the cherished handwritten card that had been lovingly stored inside it.

"Why the hell were you playing around with it then?"

"I wasn't playing around with it!" she wailed.

Lucy had asked Levy to keep an eye on her apartment while she went away for a few days. Levy had been asked because she was Lucy's _trustworthy_ friend- a friend who could be counted on _not_ to wreck everything in sight.

Which had been working out just _fine_ until Levy spotted a shelf of first edition Zekua Melon books earlier that evening. She'd only popped around to the apartment to make sure that the fridge was stocked with milk for Lucy's return the next day.

Unfortunately, Lucy's shelves were not of a height that her vertically challenged friend found easy to navigate. And instead of doing the _sensible_ thing of finding a stool (or leaving the books alone entirely- ha!), Levy had done the _stupid_ thing of reaching blindly above her head. She had consequently knocked the entire contents of the shelf on the floor- books, music box and all.

Levy looked up glumly to see whether or not Gajeel was going to take pity on her. Only to find that he'd vanished! Stunned, she sat down hard on the sofa. He wasn't going to help? She supposed she should have guessed as much. Only she'd thought-

She reached into her bag again and pulled out the tiny metal pieces that she'd collected from the floor of Lucy's apartment. She stared at them hopelessly. She had _no idea_ how they fit back together!

"Quit looking so fuckin' sad."

She raised her head with a start. Gajeel walked back into the room rubbing his damp hair with a towel. He'd put on a shirt_. Pity._ He dragged a table over to the sofa and then sat down beside her, taking up an inordinate amount of room.

He glared at the various bits of metal that made up the intricate workings of the music box, and then gave a loud long-suffering sigh.

"Why'd you bring this to me?"

"A hunch?" she said, smiling nervously.

He growled and glowered, and generally exuded an aura of considerable pissed-off-ness, but he started sorting methodically through the cogs, springs and thingamajigs.

Levy bit back the gushing gratitude that bubbled on her tongue, afraid that if she spoke she might break the fragile spell he was under. She consoled herself with sitting and watching. It wasn't exactly a hardship. He wasn't wearing his gloves, and his hands were amazingly skilful, they reconstructed the mechanism with deceptive ease.

She leaned slowly closer, hypnotised by the deft movements of his fingers- until they suddenly stilled. She glanced up to see what was wrong, but couldn't decipher the expression on his face.

"You're in my light."

"Oh, sorry!"

She inched back, only realising that she had been pressed against his arm, his knee, his thigh when she was bereft of the contact. She folded her hands carefully in her lap and continued her vigil from a safe distance.

"Are you sure these are all the pieces?" he asked, after several minutes of silence.

"Ye-es?"

"Something's missing."

"You mean you can't fix it?" Levy sounded crestfallen.

"I didn't say that."

Gajeel stood up and disappeared into the kitchen.

She waited anxiously, but she didn't wait long. He returned with a box of scrap metal, and while Levy was busy wondering if that was supposed to be tomorrow's breakfast, he surprised her by reaching for her wrist.

"Keep your finger pressed here," he instructed, voice unusually low, as he positioned her hand over part of the movement.

She nodded mutely, wide eyes trained on his face.

He sifted through the box, and eventually found what he was looking for, apparently- a small square of steel.

"That's it?"

"Not yet."

He carefully cut a series of comb-like teeth into the metal, then nudged her hand aside and slotted the new piece into position. Levy crossed her fingers as Gajeel set about sealing everything in place and fitting it back into the box.

When he was done he gave the whole thing back to her.

"Try it."

"Me?"

"Just try it."

Levy wound the key and placed the box on the table. She glanced at him, held her breath and opened the lid. The sweet tinny sound of music filled the room. She could have sobbed with relief.

"Sounds fuckin' awful," Gajeel grunted.

Levy laughed shakily. It sounded beautiful to her. "I really owe you for this, you know."

A shadow passed across his face. "You don't owe me shit."

She disagreed, and although she could see that she'd have to concede the point for the moment, she meant to make him reconsider his position one day.

"Thanks all the same," she informed the scowling side of his face, standing to leave.

Now that she was starting to calm down, Levy was also beginning to feel rather bad about invading his home.

"You're going back with it tonight?"

"Of course. Lu-chan will be home tomorrow morning."

"And you're not going to tell her about any of this?" he guessed. She could feel him noting the guilty heat that stole into her cheeks. "Pretty sneaky, Levy."

"You're making it sound much worse than it is," she muttered, turning again to leave.

Gajeel's laughter followed her to the front door- but an unexpected call for her to wait made her pause. She stopped and looked over her shoulder, puzzled when she saw him coming after her.

"I'll walk with you."

"_Why?"_

"It's the middle of the night and you attract trouble like a fuckin' magnet."

Levy opened her mouth to argue that point, but then recalled, in the short space of time that he'd known her she had been attacked by Laxus, turned to stone by Evergreen, and well, there had been the whole Phantom incident too.

"And having you come along is meant to _reduce_ my chances of attracting trouble?"

"No, but it'll increase your chances of coming out the other side in one piece," he grinned dangerously.

**..ooOOoo..**

"You had a relaxing time at the spa then, Lu-chan?" Levy asked, sipping her tea.

"So relaxing!" Lucy sighed with utter contentment. "You should come next time Levy-chan. You- ah- look like you could use a break," she added uncertainly. "You seem a little tired?"

Levy smiled tightly and waved away her friend's concern.

Fortunately, a welcome distraction arrived in the form of Natsu and Happy.

"Lucy! You're home!"

Lucy visibly twitched as the pair burst through the window of her apartment.

"I'm trying to train him," she said blandly to Levy, ignoring her two new 'guests' completely, "but he can't seem to grasp the difference between doors and _windows_ or knocking and _trespassing_!"

"Mmm," Levy murmured into her cup, watching Natsu as he wandered around the room with his nose in the air. "You're sure he's trainable?" she asked doubtfully.

He had just climbed onto a chest of drawers- much to Lucy's dismay, judging by her shriek of horror. She ran across the room to pull him off the furniture.

"Why can I smell Ga-?"

"Get! Down! Now!" Lucy yelled, yanking him back onto the floor by his scarf.

"Here, Natsu!" Happy cried, landing atop the accursed music box. Levy sank way down deep into her chair. Sometimes she _really_ hated dragon slayers and their cats and their freakish sense of smell.

"Happy!" Lucy turned her attention to the blue cat. "Be careful!"

While Lucy was busy saving her belongings and berating Happy, Levy was trying not to notice the shrewd look that Natsu was casting in her direction.

"You smell interesting this morning too, Levy," he said, sidling up to her while Lucy explained to Happy why she was going to dismember him if he put so much as a scratch on the music box. "Kind of metallic."

Levy took a huge gulp of tea in an effort to avoid giving Natsu any form of response.

"Open it, Lucy!" Happy commanded eagerly, flying in circles above her head, blithely oblivious to the threats that had been thrown at him. "I want to hear it play!"

Lucy sighed, unable to maintain her anger any longer. She smiled softly and lifted the catch.

"All right, but it doesn't-"

The delicate tinkling sound of music punctuated her sentence.

"Pretty!" Happy declared.

"B- but-" Lucy stammered, a slow, joyous, confused smile blooming on her face "-but it's been broken for years! I've been meaning to have it fixed, but I've never managed to get around to it!"

"Really?" said Natsu, grinning wickedly. "Fancy that, huh, Levy?"

Levy hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.

Oh boy, if he found out, was she ever dead.

**- Fin -**


	5. Omake: Hit Snooze

**- Omake: (Hit) Snooze -**

I challenged myself to be concise for a change. Just a silly bit of nonsense that popped into my head one morning.

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: General - Words: 100 - Published: 20-06-11**

* * *

><p><strong>- Omake: (Hit) Snooze -<strong>

Levy was jarred awake by her alarm clock. She threw out a hand to silence it. But all she encountered was a large expanse of warm male skin.

"Make it stop," she mumbled, burying her face in a pillow.

The smash of breaking metal filled her bedroom, punctuated by the pathetic dying whine of the alarm.

"I didn't mean-"

"It's stopped."

She smiled despite herself. She loved waking to the sound of his voice, the feel of his body entwined with hers, the memory of the night before.

But Magnolia was running out of alarm clocks.

"_Every_ morning though, Gajeel?"


	6. Doubt

**- Doubt -**

**Summary: **"Today was the seventh day of the seventh month. And she _hated_ it." There are some fears that love needs help to conquer. Rated for language and suggestive adult themes.

Well, it's 7th July so I thought I'd write something appropriate. Enjoy!

****Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: Angst/Romance - Words: 1,834 - Published: 07-07-11****

* * *

><p><strong>- Doubt -<strong>

**I.**

He had been gone for almost two weeks. Thirteen days twelve hours and thirty-five minutes to be exact. Levy had been conscious of every passing second. She carried the weight of his absence around on her shoulders. Felt it in the empty ache of her heart. Oh, he had been away for much longer periods of time. But this was different. This wasn't a mission. It wasn't a job. It was Metalicana.

Last year had been the same. Last year when _this _time drew near. He had disappeared. Today was the seventh day of the seventh month. And she _hated_ it.

And that made her hate herself.

Love was not meant to be selfish. Love was not meant to know fear.

And she did love him. So very much.

Which was why, she told herself, she hadn't asked him to stay. No, and she hadn't begged him to take her with him either. She _knew_ he needed to do this- and she knew he needed to do it alone. He needed to search for Metalicana. He needed to find his dragon.

And she hoped- because hope was all she had left- that when he finally succeeded he would still come home to her.

That was her real fear.

She closed the book that she wasn't reading. She hadn't managed to complete a single job since he'd left. Pathetic. _What the fuck is wrong with you?_ She could hear his voice inside her head. Gruffly tender. A tone he only used with her. Her stomach clenched with longing.

It was the not knowing, she wanted to believe, that made it so hard.

He had never said what he was going to do when he found the dragon. And she had never asked. For so long he had denied wanting anything to do with his foster parent. (She thought back to those days with a guilty longing.) When things changed he didn't enlighten her as to _why_.

And if he didn't find Metalicana this year, there was always _next_ year to fear.

Levy returned her book to its shelf and stared blankly at the rows of leather bound spines. Funny. This place used to be her sanctuary. So how was it that she no longer felt safe?

She heard the door to the Fairy Tail archives open, but didn't turn her head. It was frankly embarrassing, the number of times that she had jumped to her feet in hope and excitement only to find Mirajane standing in the doorway, staring back at her with barely veiled concern. He definitely wouldn't be back _today_. So she squared her shoulders, chose a book at random and returned to her seat.

* * *

><p><strong>II.<strong>

He'd known she would be here.

And yet, he'd still come.

So much earlier than he'd intended. It disturbed him. He wasn't good around people at the best of times. He hated being around anyone today. He was liable to do things they would regret.

So being around her was especially risky.

But it hadn't stopped him. Because the whole time he'd been away he hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was _wrong_. Like a splinter in his mind, it had driven him crazy. It was easing now though. Now that he'd seen her.

Not that she'd looked up from her book. He stood still and tried not to let it bother him. But he knew for a fact that it was impossible for _her_ to walk into a room without _him_ noticing.

He checked his temper and reminded himself that he _liked_ to watch her read. Liked how it allowed him the time to study her at his leisure. It still amazed him. That anything so small could be so strong. That anyone so beautiful would give herself to him.

Metalicana could wait. She was infinitely more important.

She was _his_.

And, so gradually that he couldn't remember the single moment in which it had happened, he'd realised that claim worked both ways.

And it terrified him.

Because he didn't know what he was going to do when she realised what he had always known. He wasn't good enough for her. He should never have let her in. But she had been destined to be his weakness. He couldn't resist her. He didn't try. He'd decided a long time ago that today's pleasure was worth tomorrow's pain.

_But losing her would be more pain than he could bear._

It was with that bleak thought in mind that his patience came to an end. He crossed the room silently, intently, and announced himself with a touch- the light caress of his fingers against the back of her neck. Levy's breath caught in her throat. _Delicious_. But she was wound so tight that he could feel the knots in her shoulders.

Later, he'd find out what was on her mind. Later.

"Gajeel!"

He would never tire of the way she said his name. No one else had ever imbued it with warmth and love and delight. And all those other emotions that he'd told himself he'd never need. The shadows retreated to the depths of her eyes as she rose to face him.

She looked at him as though he was her whole world. For now. And it made him feel so fuckin' small. So he leaned down and kissed her. Hard.

_This_ he understood.

He knew exactly how to make her gasp and moan. Her lips parted, faintly desperate, as she met and answered each one of his demands. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and twisted to get closer. It wasn't close enough. It wouldn't be close enough until much later.

He could never quite believe how generous she was with every part of herself- body, heart and soul. Because- even now- he didn't understand it. Didn't understand how her heart could be big enough to love him.

* * *

><p><strong>III<strong>.

Her breath hitched again as she was lifted off her feet and deposited on the edge of the tabletop. She was aware of the thud of her book being knocked to the floor, the clatter of her chair as he kicked it aside. She didn't care. Arms still locked around his neck, she wrapped her legs around his hips. It was a reflex- no, a necessity, and she relished the shudder of his body the moment before he laid her down on the polished wood.

"_Levy."_

The guttural way that he growled her name thickened her blood. She could scarcely credit that the difference between agony and ecstasy was a single moment in his arms.

"Hi," she whispered, breathless, reaching up to touch his face with her fingertips.

His eyelids dipped shut at the first brush of skin. She couldn't stop herself. She touched him as though she had never touched him before- she touched him with the remembered fear of never being able to touch him again.

She could almost see the threads of his control snapping one by one, like a violin bow pulled too taut, but to her shock, he suddenly clamped a hand around her wrist and pinned it to the table above her head. Elation started to fade- passion warred with apprehension.

"What's wrong?"

Her lips parted in surprise. His voice. Her question.

"Wrong?" she echoed.

"You smell different."

Her flushed cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. She would never get used to his superior set of senses. Even after everything they'd shared, it seemed so extraordinarily intimate, the things he could tell from the scent of her skin.

"I smell-?"

"Of fear."

And she didn't have to be able to do anything but look up into his face to know how much he _hated_ it. She considered pointing out that his grip on her wrist was getting tighter, but knew that would be dodging the issue. She moistened her lips. Struggled to steady her breath. All right. She wouldn't be selfish.

"Did you find Metalicana?"

"_What-?"_

"I'll assume not," she continued quietly, before he could begin to rant. He would have said if he had found the dragon. Long before now. She tried half-heartedly to get up, but he didn't move a muscle, so she stayed where she was lying.

"You're changing the subject."

He sounded angry and accusing. She sighed deeply- and then hissed at the illicit friction the movement created. He felt it too, judging by the way his eyes darkened.

"Not really," she argued weakly.

He scowled, and the next moment she found herself sitting upright again, perched on the edge of the table, head spinning slightly. She wasn't helped to order her thoughts when he stayed standing in the cradle of her thighs, resting his hands on her waist. But she gripped his forearms to keep him there.

"You're scared of Metalicana?"

The question surprised her, confused her slightly.

"_No-_ well, yes- I mean, I suppose so- but you're missing the point."

"I wouldn't know there was a fuckin' point to miss if I hadn't dragged it out of you!"

True. But she had been protecting him by keeping quiet. Hadn't she? It was all getting muddled inside her head. Perhaps she had just been protecting herself. She blinked with slow dawning understanding. Oh. So now came the moment to be brave?

"I was scared you wouldn't come back."

"You thought I'd get myself killed?"

He looked and sounded so seriously _insulted_ by the mere mistaken suggestion that Levy almost laughed. Almost.

"No," she said.

It was all she said. He was smart. Let him figure the rest out.

Red eyes narrowed, thoughtful, intent, and then, to her growing confusion, he smiled, slowly, not precisely happily, but oh so dangerously. He looked grimly satisfied about something. She couldn't fathom what.

"You were scared I wouldn't come back?"

_"Yes."_

"Little fool," he murmured, eyes glinting.

"W-what?"

But she knew what- she realised- or at least she _thought _she did. Yes. She could see it in his face, feel it in the powerful tension of his body. Words had always been harder for him, and she was still learning to interpret his silences. Still making mistakes. But something warm and lovely began to ease the ache inside her heart when she realised what he was telling her now. The relief was so intense it pricked her eyes with tears.

"You know," she said softly, because she was newly conscious of picking up his bad habits, "you _do_ know that I will always be here- that I would wait forever, don't you?"

She felt the slight jolt of his body. Felt the increased pressure of his fingers on her waist. He stared at her. Searching. She held his gaze without wavering, waiting for him to find whatever it was that he was looking for- waiting- until he started to breathe again.

"Why _did_ you come back today?" she asked with gentle curiosity.

He spoke his answer into the shell of her ear.

And sealed it with a kiss.

**- Fin -**


	7. His life in her hands

**- His life in her hands -**

**Summary: **Master Ivan has a job for Gajeel. Gajeel has a problem. Blow his cover as a double agent or stand by as Levy is handed over to the enemy? Rated for language and a little bit of violence.

It's never going to happen, but even at the risk of it being completely AU (shortly (?)) I wrote it anyway. I did try a little trick at the end to make it potentially _less_ AU.

Sort of a complimentary story to _Just a dream_, because **ningyobaka**, your review stuck with me - I don't normally do sad and I thought this might turn out happier(ish) in the end!

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: Adventure/Friendship/Romance (if you squint) - Words: 5,151 - Published: 24-07-11**

* * *

><p><strong>- His life in her hands -<strong>

"We might as well just disband."

"Droy, you're seriously overreacting," Jet insisted, following the other man over to Fairy Tail's bar to order a drink. "Although, on the other hand," he said more slowly, suddenly all teeth and an innocent smile. "I'm sure Levy and I could make the team work as a duo."

"Do you see Levy, Jet?" Droy was beside himself with anguish. "Do you even know where she is?"

"Pretty careless of you to lose her," interjected a deep voice lazily.

Two thirds of Shadow Gear turned to scowl bloody murder at Gajeel. The dragon slayer was sitting on a barstool, but he'd already returned his attention to his tankard, leaving Lily to endure the rather unimposing ire of the two men's anger.

"What's wrong with Levy?" the Exceed demanded. He folded his arms across his chest and gave the pair a highly suspicious look up and down.

"Nothing."

"She's fine."

"She's gone on a mission."

Gajeel glanced over his shoulder again, his expression blank. "On her own?"

"Why shouldn't she go on her own?"

"Levy's entirely capable of-"

Gajeel turned back to his drink and tuned out the two most annoying men in the whole guild.

_Fuck it._

She never went on missions alone.

Something was bothering her. He didn't know what that 'something' was- but it was bothering him too.

It had started after their return from Tenrou Island. Something had _changed_. Something so subtle he'd missed it at first. Her smiles were smaller, her laughter less frequent. And when she thought no one was looking, her expression had a habit of turning almost- _wounded_.

It pissed him off.

They'd all made it back. Just about. All right, it had been fucking hard, but they'd won. In the end. Because they were Fairy Tail. And Fairy Tail always won. So what _right_ did she have to look so _lost_? He took it personally. It _was_ personal. She'd been his partner and somewhere along the way something had happened to her- and he hadn't stopped it.

He didn't understand _what _had happened to affect her more deeply than anyone else, but that's how it _felt_ and he'd lived on gut instinct for long enough to listen when it kicked in.

She could not possibly still be mad about- fuck- about-?

He struggled to remember _what_ she had been yelling at him before she'd run off and almost got herself killed by Grimoire Heart! She'd called him an idiot. He remembered _that_- but _why_ he'd been an idiot- he had a feeling he hadn't got it at the time either.

"They've gone," Lily informed him dryly.

"Good."

"You shouldn't provoke them."

"Why the hell not?" Gajeel grunted.

"They're worried about her too."

Gajeel chose to _ignore_ that loaded comment. He wasn't worried! Worry was an emotion for little old ladies and weak fuck-ups like her freaking groupies. _He_ was pissed off!

"The job's nothing she can't handle," Lily continued. "Jet says she's gone to translate some old book."

"_Why_ are you telling me?"

Lily shot him an arched look. They might not have been a team for nearly as long as Natsu and Happy, or even Wendy and Charle, but his cat still knew him pretty damn well- _too_ damn well sometimes.

"I saw her yesterday. She did seem preoccupied. Said she had a lot on her mind."

"What the fuck can she possibly have on her mind?" Gajeel snarled unsympathetically, clenching a brutal fist around the paper shikigami in his pocket.

**..ooOOoo..**

_It would serve her right if they killed her._

The thought circled around and around inside Levy's head. She was too angry with herself to feel afraid- for the moment at least. What in the world had she managed to get herself mixed up in this time?

She would have asked her would-be murderers that question- except for the fact they'd gagged her. Yes. She was gagged, bound and blindfolded, thrown over one of their shoulders with all the dignity of a sack of potatoes, and was currently being carried off to god knows where!

This would certainly teach her to think she could handle a request all on her own!

Provided she lived long enough to learn the lesson.

**..ooOOoo..**

Raven Tail. Gajeel was sick to death of it. He looked around the Dark Guild with a sullen sneer, as he waited beside a floating shikigami for Master Ivan to appear.

He wasn't feeling particularly charitable towards Fairy Tail at the moment either. He got it. He really did. He understood punishment. For as many times as Master Makarov might claim that he was _sorry_ about giving Gajeel such a dangerous mission there remained one underlying issue.

The old man was never going to forgive him for hurting his 'children'.

And that made Gajeel more expendable than any other Fairy.

That and he was the only one capable of pulling off this shit.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Gajeel-chan."

_Don't react. Just take it, absorb it, you've suffered worse._

"I've been busy."

"Yes. 'Away with the fairies.' I know."

Gajeel held Master Ivan's manic stare without flinching. He remembered how to play dirty. He'd been fuckin' good at it- still was when he had to be. And when his opponent wasn't even playing with a full deck, it almost seemed like cheating. Gajeel's grin darkened with a faintly manic edge of its own. Not that he was _against_ cheating. But he was getting pretty tired of this game.

"I have a job for you."

No shit. Like that was news. Gajeel hadn't exactly thought the shikigami had summoned him to catch up over a beer. He waited for the details. Watching as Master Ivan reached for the shikigami and then slowly shredded the paper doll into pieces. Gajeel was pleased he hadn't arrived early enough to see what or _who_ that doll had been- in fact, he'd been late, shaking Lily off his tail had taken some doing.

When his hands were eventually free, Master Ivan wove his way over to a table. He touched the cover of the leather-bound book that sat in its centre. Gajeel hadn't noticed it beforehand. All his attention had been focused on the Dark Guild master. He pushed himself off the wall against which he had been leaning.

"Do you know what this is, Gajeel-chan?"

"No."

But he barely looked at it to be honest. He was too busy thinking about how satisfying it would be to cut out this bastard-_chan's_ tongue.

"No?"

Master Ivan seemed amused. He held up the book. Flicked through a few dusty pages so that Gajeel could see the contents. It was still just a book. Written in one of those god-awful rune languages that he was so sick of at the moment. Because naturally runes made him think about- His hand clenched into a fist at his side.

"Should I know?"

The question, or perhaps merely its _tone_, drew a laugh, a rather unhinged laugh, from the other man. Master Ivan stared at the book. He looked at it for some time, smiling in a way that set Gajeel's teeth on edge. He wasn't going to like this job. But Master Makarov wanted him to maintain his cover. For how the hell long the crazy old coot hadn't bothered to say!

"I would have been more surprised if you had known."

_Fuckin' weirdo._

"What's the job, Master Ivan?"

He wanted to get out of this place before _he_ lost his mind.

"Oh, it will be quite easy, for you. It's more of a- small test, really. Come, first there's something else I want you to see."

With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Gajeel followed Master Ivan out of the room and into the corridor. He had never seen even a single other Raven Tail member on his few visits to the guild. The stone corridors were always bare and empty of life, although as Master Ivan began to climb the stairs of one narrow tower, Gajeel's ears began to pick up the sound of voices.

Male. Indistinct.

But then- _but then_ he picked up a scent. The scent. _Her_ scent. And his heart stopped beating.

**..ooOOoo..**

Fear had replaced anger. Raven Tail. The name sent shivers down her spine. The men were only hired mercenaries. Not members. She had gleaned only a few facts from their grunts and snarls of conversation, but that was one of them.

There were five of them. And they were all uneasy.

When your abductors were getting twitchy it was time to start worrying.

They had relieved her of her blindfold, but left her gagged and bound. She tried to test the ropes that cut into her wrists- and was promptly smacked across the face for her trouble.

Pain exploded through her head, but the chair they'd tied her to rocked precariously- she wondered, if she could tip it- perhaps-

But then the door opened, and she saw him, and that's when her anger returned.

**..ooOOoo..**

He couldn't do it.

He couldn't bear to see the look of betrayal in her eyes.

The razor sharp intake of her breath was more than painful enough.

So he retreated to that dark hollow space inside himself where only he existed. It almost wasn't enough. Not when he could smell the salt of her tears. The iron of her blood. Someone had spilled her blood. He wanted them dead. His heart was beating again. Way too fuckin' fast.

Five men. Plus Ivan. He could take them. He had to take them. But they were too close to her. It wasn't that he thought he'd hit her by mistake. It was that he was positive they'd use her as a shield if they realised she was what he wanted. It's what he would have done. Once.

"I see my friends have not given you a very warm welcome to my guild, Levy-chan."

"If you'd wanted us to give her a warm welcome you should have said, Master Ivan," leered one of the men. Levy recoiled as he stroked a finger down her cheek and licked his lips lasciviously.

Fatality victim number one had just been nominated.

But remarkably, before Gajeel could take a single step forward to castrate the piece of shit, he was gone, and in his place floated a shikigami. The remaining men paled visibly and shrank back.

All four of them.

So that helped his odds a bit.

"No one touches her until she's done her job," Master Ivan said mildly. "I believe we can lose the gag now. She can't cast offensive magic with her arms bound, and I need the use of her mouth."

Levy's wide eyes narrowed. She kept her lips sealed tight even once the gag was removed. Gajeel was ashamed by his relief. He didn't want to hear what she had to say to him.

Master Ivan merely tutted quietly. "Now, Levy-chan. You accepted my request."

"Obviously I didn't realise it was your request!" she exploded. "How did you even get the request placed in Fairy Tail?" she demanded. She shot a glance in Gajeel's direction. But Gajeel was suddenly concerned with something other than the anger rolling off Levy in waves. Did Ivan have _other_ eyes watching Fairy Tail?

"Ah, no," Ivan grinned, "of that crime our mutual friend is innocent."

"He's not our mutual friend."

He had underestimated how much it would _hurt_ to lose her faith in him. To lose her. The way she spat the words. It was like the slow plunge and twist of a knife. He told himself it didn't matter. It restored a kind of order to the world. Because she always _should_ have hated him. Except this way was so much worse because he knew- had tasted- what exactly?

Master Ivan looked pleased. "And that is why I chose you, Levy-chan. I have something I think you're going to want to read."

He placed the book on a table in front of her and opened it to a marked page. She lifted her chin and turned her head defiantly. Very brave, but very stupid. Gajeel tensed as Master Ivan grabbed a fistful of blue hair and snapped her head back to look up into his face.

"I am not a patient man, little girl."

Threat made, Ivan roughly bowed Levy's head over the table, pressing her nose down until it almost touched the pages of the book.

Gajeel drew a very slow enraged breath and flexed his fingers. The four thugs were huddled in a group. He could try to take them out with one blast of dragon slayer magic. But Ivan- Ivan was probably as strong as Master Makarov _and he had his hand on Levy's head. _One flick of his wrist and he'd break her neck- he wouldn't even have to use magic.

"This is-"

Gajeel's body froze as Levy's voice broke off in fear.

"Yes," Ivan hissed, hysterical laughter bubbling out of his mouth. "Yes it is!"

Gajeel looked at her- he shouldn't have- because what he saw in her eyes changed everything he thought he knew. Her skin was ghostly white under her bruises. Her eyes were wide with soul-deep terror. And her lips were silently mouthing one impossible word.

_Run._

**..ooOOoo..**

Lily was- well, mildly concerned.

Because, although he would never stoop to compare himself to Jet and Droy, he too had found himself left behind at the guild cooling his heels.

If he had thought for the briefest moment that Gajeel was going to look for Levy- and that there was therefore even the _smallest_ chance of them all being put out of their misery- he would have stayed behind in perfect contentment.

But as he was fairly certain that this was _not_ the case, given his friend's complete and utter self-denial where a certain little bookworm was concerned, he considered himself practically duty-bound to follow the man.

Lily was sure Gajeel was set to wind up in trouble given the currently distracted state of his mind.

**..ooOOoo..**

_Please run._

There was just no way on this earth that she could mean that warning _for him_. And oddly, it wasn't because she was meant to hate him. It was because she should know that he would never leave her behind.

"We're all waiting," Ivan cackled.

"What are we all waiting _for_, Master?" Gajeel asked slowly. He hoped rather than believed he managed to keep most of the suspicion out of his voice.

The Guild Master straightened and finally relinquished his cruel hold on Levy's hair. Her expression shuttered a little as Ivan slowly wandered the room. He circled Gajeel and smiled.

"I told you. A small test."

_Did Ivan know-_

"I won't read it!"

"I can make you, Levy-chan."

"No." Her voice was small and soft, but it didn't waver, much like herself. "You can kill me. But you can't make me read this book."

"I thought you of all people would want to read it."

"You thought wrong."

There was steel in her voice now. Defiance in every line of her face.

"So very misguided," Master Ivan breathed. "Let me show you how misguided you are, little girl. You aren't the only one I can get to read it. Think about that before you die. Gajeel-chan, if you would."

Perfect. For a moment fear had rendered him immobile. But now, he smiled. There was a hard, cruel edge to his mouth. He walked purposefully towards Levy. At least two of the mercenaries must have seen the murderous glint in his eyes because they backed up even further.

She lifted her head to watch him as he transformed his arm.

And she didn't so much as flinch as the sound of his blade split the air.

It was easy to cut her from the chair. It was harder to judge where the first attack was going to come from, but it was harder still to understand why Levy was trying to push in front of him. He grabbed her shoulder and forcibly thrust her behind him.

"Gajeel!" Anger still tinged her words, but he finally realised it wasn't directed at him. "You have to let me-!"

It was the mercenaries who came at him first. Maybe they thought there would be no payment if they let him take Levy. He didn't know and he didn't care. They were stronger than they looked, but they weren't stronger than him. He tore into them with great satisfaction, splitting skin and crushing bone, but always very careful to keep his body between his bookworm and Master Ivan.

Raven Tail's Guild Master had yet to lift a finger. He stood by the door- the only exit from the high tower and simply shook his head.

"The book!" Levy was shouting at Gajeel.

"Leave the fuckin' book!" he roared, as she finally succeeded in slipping passed him.

"No!"

She made a run for it, but she never reached it.

"I really hate clever little girls."

Gajeel hadn't seen Ivan move, but his hand was now clamped around Levy's forearm. All four men launched themselves at the dragon slayer's back, as he turned to go after her. There was no time. They slammed him to the ground. Blood pooled in his mouth. He couldn't reach her- he roared- and punched- and fought- and rose to his feet, _but not fast enough._

She didn't scream. She sank to her knees, but she didn't scream. That was why the snap of her radius was the single sound ringing in his ears.

"_Ivan!"_

The four mercenaries paid for Master Ivan's crime. Blood soaked the air. They were all going to die. All of them. Including him. Including her. But the bloodlust was starting to cloud his mind. He simply needed someone else to hurt- he needed another body to writhe in pain. He stalked towards the Guild Master, armoured with iron, death in his eyes.

"I'm sorry to say you've failed your test, Gajeel-chan," Master Ivan said mildly. "I didn't want to believe that Makarov had got to you. But, what shall we say is your punishment? Watching the girl die?"

"Bastard!"

Ivan pointed a finger at Levy. He looked insane. He looked _amused_. Or at least he did until a ball of flying brown fur flew through an open window and knocked him to the floor.

Gajeel stumbled to a stop.

"Lily?" Levy lifted her head and gasped with difficulty.

"Lily, take Levy and go!"

"No!" Levy cried out again. "Gajeel, you're not-"

"No one is going anywhere."

The sheer intensity of magical energy in the tower suddenly grew so strong that it threw Gajeel, Levy and Lily across the room. Gajeel hit the stone wall first. Hard. He caught Lily in one hand, and cushioned Levy's impact with his own body.

"What's the plan?" Lily demanded instantly, struggling free, bristling for a fight.

"There is no plan!"

"_I_ have a plan if you'd just listen!" Levy hissed, her breath coming raggedly. "And all you have to do is _stay still_ for five seconds."

Gajeel wanted to argue the merits of such a fucked up sounding plan. But he didn't move. She raised her arm, her right arm, although the pain must have been incredible. Particularly when she began those graceful sweeping movements of hers to summon a word. _What word?_ What word was there that could possibly help?

Ivan simply laughed. He laughed his fucking head off at the little Solid Script mage. He was still laughing five seconds later. Although rather more frenziedly, as a misty, almost indistinct word drifted in front of him. Drifted _into_ him. Until finally, he was silent.

**..ooOOoo..**

She was being carried again.

Happily, not like a sack of potatoes this time.

Her head was resting comfortably against someone's shoulder. She felt too weak to lift it. Like she'd been ill for a long time. Or like she'd used every single drop of magic in her body. Strange.

She ached all over, but it was her right arm that was on fire. She should really open her eyes and find out why, but her eyelids were so incredibly heavy. In a minute, she'd open them. In a minute. She promised herself.

She'd remember what on earth was going on, and she'd think about why she was smiling.

**..ooOOoo..**

"Master Makarov is wrong."

That was Lily's verdict. Once Gajeel had filled him in on (most of) the missing details behind the day's events. Gajeel was still a little surprised by his cat's miraculous appearance. He couldn't quite decide if it pleased or offended him that Lily had thought he needed _looking after_. Just like he couldn't quite decide if carrying Levy all the way back to Fairy Tail was sensible or stupid.

Stupid. Probably. Because he liked it way too much. But it felt _right_- the way she fit against him. She was small, but she was warm and real and solid in his arms. So maybe she was soft and tender at first glance, but he'd seen that core of steel running through her soul.

"I don't see why he needs you to _keep_ going back," Lily continued doggedly. "You've already found the location of the guild for him."

"He's the Guild Master. Are you going to tell him he's wrong?"

"I'll tell him," a voice murmured quietly into his chest.

"Levy!" Lily sprouted wings and flew up to Gajeel's shoulder so that he too could see the waking mage. He hovered anxiously beside her face. "How are you feeling?"

She lifted her head and blinked slowly, seemed to take a moment to think about this question before speaking, Gajeel saw her glance at her arm.

"What happened?"

"_You_ happened."

Amnesia.

The word had seeped into Master Ivan and temporarily stolen his mind. Along with, Gajeel presumed, some unknown quantity of his memories. Lily hadn't let him kill the bastard when he'd started laughing and rocking hysterically in the corner. No, Lily had insisted they make their escape while they could.

Gajeel might have been harder to persuade if not for the unconscious weight of Levy's body in his arms. Her heartbeat had been _so weak_ that for a second he'd thought-

"Did it work?" she demanded, sitting a little straighter.

"We're all alive, aren't we?"

"How are you, Levy?" Lily persisted.

"I'll be fine."

Which meant she wasn't fine now.

Gajeel snorted. "You mean you feel like shit."

He heard Lily groan, but he also heard what might have been a laugh lodge itself in Levy's throat. She was sporting a black eye and a split lip, not to mention the broken arm. He'd made a splint for it, and Lily had bandaged it before they left Raven Tail. Gajeel hadn't trusted himself to touch her when so much rage was still coursing through his body.

"Yeah, that's what I mean." She sounded amused.

"_Good,"_ he snapped. "Maybe that'll teach you not to use all your magic in one fuckin' go!"

"He means thank you!" Lily countered strongly.

"I know what he means," Levy laughed, and then she smiled, a proper Levy-smile at the Exceed. "I don't know how you did it, but thanks for coming, Lily." He was flying close enough that it took her very little effort to plant a kiss on his cheek. "If you hadn't arrived when you did, I'd probably be dead."

The cat could find absolutely no reply. And Gajeel couldn't see, but he was fairly sure that Lily was blushing crimson under all that fur.

"You could have just used your spell sooner," he grunted _dis_gruntled. _Not_ because he was jealous of his cat. _Not_ because he was trying to calculate how many more times he needed to save her life to earn a kiss.

"No, I couldn't," she argued, her attention returning to him. "I had to make sure I didn't catch you in it!"

"You shouldn't have worried about that."

"Don't be so stupid," she sighed, but it didn't sound like an insult.

**..ooOOoo..**

Lily swooped down to the ground and retrieved Master Ivan's book. He'd dropped it when Levy had first woken up, in his eagerness to check that she was really all right. She had fallen asleep again now. It took a while to recoup that much lost magic.

He had no idea what was so special about the tome- neither had Gajeel, but as Levy had apparently been willing to die for it, the dragon slayer had insisted they take it back to Fairy Tail with them. Lily tucked the book safely under his arm, and then started to grin.

He offered the book casually to Gajeel once he caught him back up.

"You want to swap?"

"What?"

He adopted an innocent expression. "I could transform and carry Levy for a bit if you're getting tired."

"Fuck off, Lily."

**..ooOOoo..**

Gajeel jammed his hands into his pockets. There was no denying it. He missed the weight of her in his arms. This was not a complication he needed. But- maybe it was one he wanted? He shot a sideways glance at Levy, almost hesitantly.

He didn't think she looked particularly stable on her feet, but the last time she'd woken up she had insisted she felt much better, and was _determined not to be a burden. _He bit back a growl.

"How long will it last?"

"Huh?"

Levy turned and blinked up at him.

"That spell you cast on Master Ivan."

"I'm not sure," she said slowly, suspiciously.

"How much of his memory will he lose?"

"I don't know, Gajeel!" Now she sounded exasperated. "It's not as though I've ever- Fried and I have only discussed this _theoretically_." She worried her already abused bottom lip. "I shouldn't have done it really. It's forbidden magic."

He smiled slightly. Clearly he was a bad influence on her. He took a moment to enjoy that fact, before pressing:

"Maybe all of today?"

"Why does it matter?" she finally demanded. "You can't go back! Even if Master Ivan forgets everything that happened today, he still suspects you're a spy! That's why he summoned you in the first place, isn't it? To test you!"

"It's what the Master wants."

"Lily!" Levy looked desperately to the Exceed for support.

"He knows what I think."

"Please don't go back, Gajeel," she begged. And he knew he was on dangerous ground. Because he had every intention of going back. Of making Ivan pay. His gaze caught on Levy's arm. But he didn't want to lie to her and- he frowned.

Actually, there was something he still didn't understand.

"When did the Master tell you I was working for him as a double agent?"

"He didn't tell me."

She said it so casually, but Gajeel stopped walking. He stopped dead. Levy turned when she noticed that he was no longer beside her. She looked back at him, puzzled, eyebrows raised in question.

"Then how did you know?"

Levy glanced away. And- was that a blush under her bruises?

"I didn't. Not definitely. But I- I trust you."

Her blush deepened at his look of utter disbelief. Because no one had ever, not in all his life, had that kind of blind faith in him. It was incredibly stupid. And incredibly powerful.

"I know you don't really get the whole trust thing," she continued quickly, "but that's okay, I've decided I-"

"What the fuck are you talking about? I trust you," he growled, but it was her face that now looked doubtful. He didn't entirely blame her- it was a new concept for him too. It was different to the trust he had in Lily, but it was no less real.

"You don't have to say that- it's okay, it doesn't matter," she said hurriedly. "I just want to get back to Fairy Tail and show Master Makarov that book. I- wait, where is it?" she asked suddenly, voice rising with panic.

Again with the book. He might have to kill her himself after all.

"Lily has your fuckin' book."

"Here, Levy," said Lily, exchanging a strong speaking glance with his partner. He passed the ancient tome over carefully, mindful of her injury.

"Thank you." She sighed with relief as she accepted it. "The Master should know how to destroy it."

"You want to _destroy_ it?"

Lily voiced the question. Gajeel was frankly too surprised to speak. The world had gone completely crazy. That was the only thing that explained the last five minutes of his life.

"Of course I want to destroy it!"

"Why?"

Levy looked down at Lily. She was chewing her lip again. She glanced fleetingly up at Gajeel, and then returned her attention to the Exceed.

"I can't be positive about its authenticity, of course. I mean it _might_ be a fake, but-"

"But?"

"It's got Zeref's mark on it," she whispered.

"And?" Gajeel prompted her this time. He sensed there was an even bigger 'and' coming. She held his gaze. Her eyes were suspiciously bright.

"And- _and_ the spell Master Ivan had marked is- I _know_ it sounds farfetched, but it was written to kill dragon slayers."

Stunned silence fell between the three of them.

And then.

"You're right, it does sound farfetched. It wouldn't have worked."

Gajeel spoke with an arrogant confidence he didn't entirely feel. Because if Levy was this upset then maybe it _would_ have worked. But that haunted look did not belong in her eyes.

She smiled tightly. "I wasn't exactly prepared to test that theory, Gajeel."

But he wasn't exactly listening. "I wonder if Master Ivan was planning to use it against Laxus," he murmured, further pieces slotting into place. As far as he knew, Ivan was still after the dragon lacrima implanted in his son. It was probably a good thing that they had taken the book after all. "Sick bastard."

"He was planning to use it against you!" Levy cried, surprising him when she thumped his arm with the tome. "Don't you get it?" she sobbed. "I might have killed you!"

"But you were going to die rather than read it," he reminded her slowly, gently capturing her wrist before she could think about taking a second swipe at him. He plucked the book from her fingers, and passed it to an annoyingly smug looking Lily.

"_Well, obviously."_ Her voice hitched in her throat.

She didn't have a free hand to wipe away her tears- he didn't seem to have let go of her wrist- but she suddenly laughed, a shaky little laugh, and smiled a decidedly watery smile. Right at him. And that's when he knew. That it was going to be all right. That it was fixed. Whatever _it_ had been. Jet and Droy would be delighted.

"You're my nakama," she breathed. "What good is my life to me if I can't save yours?"

**- Fin -**


	8. Unforgivable, Unforgettable

**- Unforgivable, Unforgettable -**

**Summary: **"She wanted to forget that it had happened. Forget that she had failed. But she never would, while he was part of Fairy Tail." Inspired by Chapter 105.

**Acknowledgement: **Levy's refusal to say or think Gajeel's name was inspired by the wonderful work of **ArouraLeona**, in particular _When the Lights Go Out_ and the Inception story, _A Closed Circle_.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading, especially to those of you who've reviewed and/or fav'ed! I want to say a special thank you to **Sandataba** for reviewing every chapter in one sitting! (You didn't leave a signed review so I didn't like to PM you, but) thank you so very much for taking the time to do that - it's hugely appreciated!

**Rated: K+ - Language: English (UK) - Genre: General - Words: 1,545 - Published: 13-08-11**

* * *

><p><strong>- Unforgivable, Unforgettable -<strong>

She didn't want him in her guild.

She didn't want him anywhere near her.

Levy McGarden, considered by many to be a veritable angel of sweetness and light, wanted nothing more than for that man to disappear off the face of the earth.

But not solely for the reason Jet and Droy imagined.

Not just because of the beating. (She couldn't bring herself to call it a fight. It had been such a one sided affair.) Or rather, not just because of the _pain_ the beating had caused her. That was what concerned her teammates. It was the thing that least concerned Levy.

Perhaps it was strange, but she found it hard to remember the physical pain. Obviously it had hurt, a lot, but the memory dulled with time. It couldn't retain the true agony of the event. Pain was fleeting. In that respect the mind was much weaker than the body. Because what was still as vivid as the moment that it had happened were the emotions- the feelings that she had endured that night- and still endured to this day.

Fear. Anger. Shame.

Shame was the bitterest. The one she had least expected. The one she hated him for making her feel. She didn't want to relive her humiliation every time she walked into the guild. She didn't want it sitting there, embodied in his visage. She wanted to pretend it was all a bad dream. She wanted to forget that it had happened. Forget that she had failed. But she never would, while he was part of Fairy Tail.

He had broken her body. Shredded her confidence. And she didn't know what to do with the tattered remnants that he had left behind. Even if she could put all the pieces back together, she feared she would never be quite the same again.

He had _changed_ her, but he had never acknowledged what he had done.

The night she couldn't forget. Did he even remember it?

Specifically.

Or was it simply one more moment of unmemorable violence to him?

Because she would remember the way his eyes had lit with malice and cruelty for the rest of her life. And yet those same eyes now looked through her as though she didn't exist.

It was perhaps his greatest insult.

And yet she should have been consoled.

But she wasn't- she didn't know why- but she didn't want to be forgotten.

Surely, to be forgotten was to be safe? And safety should have been all she wanted. Every time she saw him, she had to fight the urge to run away. With varying degrees of success. What was she running from, she asked herself, each and every time her throat closed over with fear? What did she imagine he was going to do to her?

Because he never did anything.

No action, no word, no look was spared for her.

She was nothing. She meant nothing. Why was she scared of a man who had forgotten her very existence?

Perhaps because it was his taunts that echoed in her nightmares.

_Trash. Scum. Fairy bitch._

She would make him take it back. Somehow. Someday.

She smiled to herself, almost in surprise, and turned a page of her book. _See_. It was still there. Her courage. He had it chained and padlocked. But it was _there_ inside her. And metal corroded. Given enough time. She would be free again. Free of him. She just had to wait.

For the moment, she would try to take solace in her books. Retreat into the worlds inside their pages. Run away and hide. Contentment was her fleeting companion as she visited those faraway places. Fleeting because deep down she knew what she was doing was craven.

It was then, as she was tucked into a corner of the new barroom with her nose in a book, that Master Makarov approached her. Drink in hand, he asked if he could sit at- or more accurately _on-_ her table. He began chatting away without further preamble.

"How do you like the new guild, Levy?"

The final touches of the rebuild had only just been completed, but Levy wasn't convinced that her master was talking solely about the new building. Her answer was carefully diplomatic.

"It'll take a little getting used to."

"Mira tells me you haven't taken a job in a while?"

No, she hadn't- because- because she had thought she was almost recovered, and then the master had accepted him into Fairy Tail. Levy had suddenly found herself doubting her ability to spell her own name right- let alone use her magic if called upon do to so! The last time she had needed it- it had failed her spectacularly.

"It's nothing. I've just been- building up my strength," she said lamely.

Master Makarov stared silently into his tankard for so long that Levy thought the conversation must be over. She returned her attention to her book thankfully.

"Strength is not a purely physical attribute."

She looked up again, uncertain she had heard right. "Master?"

"Real strength is not measured by the size of our muscles."

So said the man who could transform himself into a giant. Yes, that was a truly convincing argument. Levy closed her book, and waited with mounting certainty for the next pearl of wisdom that was to be bestowed upon her.

Master Makarov took a long draught of beer and smacked his lips together with apparent satisfaction.

"It's measured in the conviction of our hearts. In our capacity for kindness and compassion. In our ability to forgive."

"Are you asking me to forgive him?" she demanded bluntly.

There was no point skirting around the issue. She could read between the lines. She knew it would cause problems. _Was_ causing problems. This indescribable fear that consumed her whenever she was in the same room as him. It was becoming harder and harder to stop Jet and Droy from doing something about it. About him. But forgiving him- forgiving him was unthinkable. It hurt a little that the master would even suggest it.

"I'm asking you to forgive yourself."

Levy's book slipped out of her fingers and hit the tabletop with a soft thud.

"M-Master?"

_He thought she was to blame too?_

"You couldn't have stopped him. I want you to stop reliving it."

"No," she said, so softly she barely even heard herself. "I don't accept that. There must have been something I could have done differently. A moment I missed."

Her teammates _relied_ on her. She _always_ got them out of every sticky situation in which they found themselves. There had to have been _something_ else she could have done to protect them!

"I would hate for this to define you. I think you need to face him."

"No!" Although the master's words were spoken kindly, a shudder shook Levy's whole body. "I can't."

"He's not so bad. …I hope."

_Of course, she should have seen it sooner._

"You think you can save him, don't you, Master?" she said quietly.

Master Makarov laughed and shook his head. "He'll have to save himself."

* * *

><p><strong>..ooOOoo..<strong>

* * *

><p>Levy's thoughts were faster than the speed of light. But they weren't going to save her. Not when the only thing she could think was that there was no way she could dodge a lightning bolt.<p>

It was instinct that made her raise her arms and close her eyes.

Useless instinct.

She didn't want to hurt again.

The buzz of electricity crackled around her. Harmlessly. Had she misjudged the path of Laxus's attack? She eased open an eye. Right there. That second. She knew. Nothing would ever be the same again.

Because he was standing in front of her. Smoke rising off his body. He had saved her. It was a fact that she would never be able to rewrite.

She didn't know if she hated him more or less because of it.

"Gajeel…"

It was the first time she had ever spoken to him. The first time her lips had tasted his name. He dismissed her with apparent contempt, but incredibly that didn't stop her from watching him walk away, injured and unsteady on his feet. She watched him for the first time without cowering, without hiding. She saw a man, just a man, not the monster who lived inside her head. Something inside her shifted. She had stood in his shadow and she had survived.

_But why had he-?_

Levy pressed a hand to her mouth.

There had been no reason for him to do that- Laxus hadn't been aiming at him- he didn't have to subject himself to another hit.

Enduring his punishment had been his- had been Gajeel's original intention. She knew that- she had deduced that fact. It made a kind of twisted sense. But unnecessarily taking an additional blow didn't make any sense at all! No one else had moved to shield her. Not Jet. Not Droy. She certainly didn't believe Gajeel was the kind of man who would instinctively protect anyone. So it had been a conscious decision on his part.

He had decided to stand between her and Laxus. He had decided to protect her. Which meant, she supposed, he had not forgotten her after all.

**- Fin -**


	9. The Quiet Path

**- The Quiet Path -**

**Summary:** I couldn't help but notice that Levy changed her clothes at some point during her time on Tenrou Island. Trust me, Gajeel noticed too. Rated for language and suggestive adult themes.

Let's call it a missing scene from Chapter 203. Don't expect anything too serious from me today. I'm having way too much fun playing.

**Rated: T - Language: English (UK) - Genre: General - Words: 2,311 - Published: 21-08-11**

* * *

><p><strong>- The Quiet Path -<strong>

**I.**

She was insanely fuckin' smart.

Maybe it should have stopped amazing him by now, but then she went and pulled off some crazy shit like she had on the boat and he was back to being amazed. He'd ask her how she'd done it, but he knew he wouldn't understand the answer.

Levy certainly had the intelligence to be an S-Class mage, even if she wasn't packing the raw power. But then Gajeel figured that's where he came into the equation. He'd told her he'd take care of anyone who stood in her way- content to be the brawn to her brains.

He'd never paid this much attention to a woman's mind before. It wasn't something that generally interested him- he couldn't see it, grope it, fuck it. But _her_ mind fascinated him. Possibly because everything about her fascinated him- from the smile that had a habit of settling low in his gut, to those legs that, despite all physical probability, seemed to go on for miles.

But he tried not to give those thoughts too much consideration.

Safer by far to allow himself to be amazed by her mind than by any of her more tangible attributes.

Which was a lot easier when she wasn't dripping wet and panting.

Well, not _a lot_ easier, but her clothes weren't ordinarily fuckin' see-through!

_Don't stare, _he willed himself, _or at least, don't get __**caught**__ staring. _

"The island looked a lot closer from the boat!" Levy complained. She hadn't quite reached the beach. She was kneeling in the shallows trying to catch her breath.

His fault. He should have slowed down, waited for her instead of making her keep pace with him, but she hadn't complained while they'd been swimming. So she could be stubborn. He liked it. And he needed to remind her of that tenacity.

"Come on, shrimp. You're not giving up already?"

Gajeel marched back to where she was resting. He easily hoisted her out of the water by the straps of her- the straps of her- _whatever_ the hell it was she was wearing- _not enough_ for his peace of mind. He hadn't seen this much of her skin exposed since that night she liked to pretend hadn't happened.

She gave a disgruntled yelp that he chose to ignore. As far as he was concerned, there was no point sitting around on the beach all day wasting the lead that she'd got them.

"G-Gajeel!" Her hands rose in a doomed attempt to loosen his grip. "Put me down! I'm not a piece of- of luggage!"

No.

No, piece of luggage had ever had the effect on him that she was having now.

"You need to choose your 'path'," he reminded her gruffly, as he dropped her, none-too-gently, much further up the beach.

Levy almost stumbled into him as her feet sank into the soft sand. The look that she shot in his direction needed its own health warning. He was starting to get the feeling she didn't particularly appreciate being manhandled.

If it bothered her so much she needed to find a more effectual way of stopping him, because glaring and shouting only served the perverse purpose of goading him to do it again.

"All right," she sighed, wringing out her wet hair, which struck Gajeel as the kind of innocently intimate act that he _shouldn't_ be watching- although naturally that didn't stop him. "Which one do you like the look of?"

"What?"

"Which path do you think we should choose?" she asked, eyeing him strangely.

_Fuck it. He was staring, wasn't he?_

But it was _hard_ not to! Did she realise there were now little trails of water running from the ends of her hair down the front of her top, creating an enticing path for his eyes to follow?

"I really don't give a shit. Just choose one," he said, looking deliberately over her head. A lucky accident as it happened. Someone else was coming. Gajeel's gaze narrowed. "If you don't pick fast the barmaid's idiot brother will be here with that bitch who turned you to stone."

"Elfman and Evergreen? Already?" Levy turned around to look back out to sea. She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun with one hand. A wry smile played on her lips when she spotted the other two guild members. "I guess Evergreen knew how to rewrite Fried's spell field too."

"You did it first," Gajeel said absently, his frown darkening. He was annoyed by every second that they wasted having this conversation. But then he became aware Levy was staring up at him. Beaming. "What?" he grunted, uncomfortably.

"Oh- nothing," she said, swallowing her smile.

Elfman and Evergreen had just reached the edge of the beach, but they seemed to be momentarily preoccupied. It looked like they were in the midst of an argument. _Seriously, al-fuckin'-ready? _Levy, meanwhile, was finally giving the entrances to the seven remaining paths the consideration that they deserved.

"I don't suppose you can tell anything from the way they smell?" she asked thoughtfully. She shot a hopeful smile at him. "Who's waiting down them, perhaps?"

"No."

Good question. But all he could smell was salt, sand and- and _Levy_. Gajeel sighed heavily. He'd been doing really well not thinking about that too. She looked momentarily disappointed, which made _him_ feel bad. What the hell was that about? He wasn't her fuckin' dog!

"Levy, just pick a path."

He was on the verge of picking one himself. But it was meant to be her test. He'd only come along to kick Salamander's ass, test his strength against some of the other Fairies, and keep the bookworm out of trouble. Not goals he necessarily ascribed that order of importance.

Which was when he realised. The rules of this trial were vague at best. He could eliminate two of the competition right here and now. He cracked his knuckles. Elfman and Evergreen were running up the beach. Towards the paths. But more importantly, towards him. The muscle-bound idiot would serve as an easy warm up.

"Um, Gajeel?" Levy's tone of voice was hesitant. He didn't even glance in her direction. "This path. Let's go this way."

He heard her, but he wasn't listening anymore. Elfman was yelling something- something that would probably have made Gajeel's ears bleed if he had been able to make out the words. Fortunately Evergreen was shouting over her partner, but whether her insults were meant for him or Elfman, Gajeel found hard to tell.

"_This way."_

Levy laid a hand on Gajeel's arm, and just like that- she had his full attention.

Light and warm, her fingers rested on his forearm. He was certain she didn't realise what she was doing, but her thumb traced the jagged line of one of his scars, and his body tightened painfully in response.

Why had he imagined he could handle being alone with her?

* * *

><p><strong>II.<strong>

Something was bothering Gajeel. That much even Levy could see, but she would think about it later. Once she had somehow averted (ha!) a fight between him and Elfman. It wasn't like she particularly fancied becoming a statue again either.

She chewed her lip. This was a problem. Her problem. She was already thinking in terms of failure.

Still, she couldn't think it was a good idea to let Gajeel loose on the first random person that he happened to see. His violent intention was clear in every line of his body. It seemed like every part of him was hard and unyielding.

"Can we please do this properly?" she begged him, tugging ineffectually on his arm as she spoke. She didn't know why she wasted her strength, except perhaps for the guilty pleasure of touching him. "We'll be disqualified!" she threatened.

That _possibly _wasn't true, but he wasn't to know. _She_ didn't know either. So it wasn't _exactly_ a lie.

She could just about make out Elfman yelling that it was unmanly of them to try to ambush him and Evergreen when she was- once again- lifted off her feet by the straps of her swimwear.

"Gajeel!"

_Great._ The sarcastic thought flitted through her head. _So he was finally listening._ But no one else she knew had to suffer the ignominy of being picked up and carted around like particularly annoying shopping bag!

She didn't bother struggling this time. She simply folded her arms and waited to be put down. She couldn't even begin to imagine that he would dare pick up any of the other Fairy Tail girls like this- well, perhaps, Wendy? But then, that was part of the problem. Wendy was a _child_, which made Levy wonder what Gajeel saw when he looked at her?

Not a young woman. Of that she was certain. She knew she didn't have the kind of voluptuous figure that blessed most of Fairy Tail's female members, and she couldn't help but fear that this was a serious disadvantage when it came to attracting members of the opposite sex.

Levy had learned to be happy with her body. Most of the time. She was petite. She quite liked the sound of that, much nicer than short, small, _shrimp_. And quite frankly, she could do without the constant backache and leering men that afflicted Lucy. Except, every now and then, she came across a man that she wouldn't mind a little leering from- and inevitably it seemed like he didn't even see her!

"You look pissed," Gajeel snorted, as though he hadn't considered such a thing was possible. "I thought you wanted to come this way?"

_Actually_, she had wanted to choose the path that Elfman and Evergreen had just disappeared down, but why split hairs? Levy doubted it would make a significant difference. With her feet back on solid ground, she turned to watch a barrier form behind them, and then she glanced up at Gajeel.

She couldn't quite decipher his expression, but he didn't look happy. He looked frustrated. And that was probably due to the fact that he was finally realising he was lumbered with her as a partner. Someone he didn't trust to walk on their own two feet! She rolled her eyes. Even worse, someone who had just denied him the pleasure of punching another man to the ground. She was about to annoy him again.

"We need to stop for a minute."

"We've only just started!"

"I need to change."

"_What?"_

"You heard." Levy rooted through her waterproof bag and pulled out some spare clothes. "I'm soaked."

So was he of course, but he didn't seem to care. He was too busy staring at her as though she had grown a second head.

"You can't-" His voice sounded oddly strangled.

"I'll be less than a minute. I promise," she said to soothe him. If Erza was waiting around the next corner, Levy wanted to be wearing something other than her tankini. She disappeared behind a convenient group of bushes. "Just keep an eye out in case anyone attacks us."

* * *

><p><strong>III.<strong>

"It'll serve your ass right if we're ambushed," Gajeel growled.

The wrong thing to say- because now he couldn't stop thinking about her ass, and what he'd like to do to it, and what he _would_ do to any of the perverts in the guild who happened to stumble upon her while she was changing.

"Mmpht mm mhmmd!"

"Yeah, you said that already, and it's been closer to five!"

A towel that smelled entirely of Levy was tossed at him from the other side of the undergrowth. He caught it without thinking before it could hit him in the face. He stared at its soft fluffy pinkness in mingled horror and disgust.

"What the hell is this?"

"A towel." He could hear the amusement in her voice. It sounded pretty good. "Use it."

_"Levy-"_

"Come on, tough guy. You're no use to me if you rust!"

Surprised laughter rumbled in his chest.

Laughter, but not compliance.

It was meant to be her gig, so he'd done as she asked when it came to the Elf-idiot, but there were definite limits to his obedience.

It was baking hot on the island. He'd dry off soon enough. Not that he wasn't perfectly aware of the unusual lightness he felt when he thought about the consideration that she seemed determined to show him.

It was a tie that he'd never experienced before. Stronger than he would have imagined. Terrifying too. It made him feel indebted. Like he needed to repay her kindness. Like he'd need to destroy anyone who hurt her. Which was fuckin' twisted. When he'd done her far more damage than anyone.

Maybe that brain of hers wasn't so smart after all? He couldn't entirely suppress a smile. He _still_ thought she was crazy.

"Ready?"

Gajeel stared at Levy as she reappeared. His eyes raked up her figure from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. This is what she chose to change into? This! For fuck's sake! He'd seen the dress before. He _liked_ the dress. He'd probably like a burlap sack if she were wearing it, but-

"How is that any more practical than what you were wearing before?" he demanded. It might actually be shorter than what she'd had on previously! Except she hadn't stipulated practical, only dry, he'd just _assumed_, wrongly as it happened.

"Huh?"

She looked at him blankly. As if she didn't see the problem. As if she didn't know that she was torturing him out of his fuckin' mind! Frustration rolled through Gajeel's body. He dragged a hand through his damp hair.

"I'll get to hit someone soon, right?" he demanded, with just a hint of desperation.

"Sure," Levy said, raising an eyebrow dubiously. She shrugged her bare shoulders. "Unless this is the quiet path."

**- Fin -**


	10. Omake: Love Song

**- Omake: Love Song -**

Haha, I kind of love this as a concept - please, don't hate me!

**Rated: K - Language: English (UK) - Genre: General - Words: 100 - Published: 21-08-11**

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><p><strong>- Omake: Love Song -<strong>

It wasn't exactly sudden.

It definitely wasn't unexpected.

But there was still a moment that served as her epiphany.

A moment when what she suspected became what she knew.

Oh, it wasn't when she accepted she had forgiven him. It wasn't when she realised she trusted him. And it certainly didn't have anything to do with anyone's life being saved.

It was after one of his musical 'renditions' at the guild - when she (alone) jumped to her feet and cheered for an encore.

That was when she knew beyond any shadow of a doubt.

This could only be love.


End file.
